Wow. We are still traipsing through the ill-behaved lineage of Abraham. Today, I read about Jacob getting his older brother Esau’s birthright, by forcing Esau to trade it to Jacob in return for food. Esau objects, and says that he’s about to die from not eating, so Jacob plays on that weakness and forces Esau to trade his birthright. In the US, we don’t necessarily have the same issue with birthrights, although I can imagine it occurs less formally here, and certainly is an issue in other parts of the world.
Then when Isaac is near death and blind, Jacob tricks Isaac into thinking he’s Esau, in order to receive Isaac’s blessing. Isaac blesses Jacob, and when Esau returns to Isaac for his blessing, Isaac tells Esau that Jacob has tricked him into thinking he was Esau. Isaac blessed Jacob instead of Esau, and gave Jacob Esau’s inheritance. All from a blessing uttered from Isaac’s mouth. I can imagine that Esau is angry and frustrated, and exclaims to his father, “Have you only one blessing, father?” Yes, apparently so.
This morning, I’m thinking about blessings, and about how we take them for granted. Clearly, we don’t place the same importance on receiving a blessing or offering a blessing. Generally, an uttered blessing doesn’t convey inheritance. Or does it?
We say “bless you” as someone sneezes. Although no one knows for sure, it is believed that this began during the time of the bubonic plague. One of the symptoms of the plague was sneezing, so the pope at the time suggested offering a small prayer when someone prayed. God bless you. If we believed that was happening, it’s not really a small thing. It does, in fact, convey an inheritance of God’s blessing, which I would suggest is a really big thing.
At the end of our worship service, the priest stands and offers a final blessing on the people gathered. There may be other words added before it, but it concludes with “the blessing of God almighty, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be upon you, this day and for ever more.” I’ve no reason to believe that is just mumbo jumbo. So if that’s the case, why don’t I weep when I hear those words? God’s blessing is upon me? Yes!
When we invoke or hear the word Bless, we ought to take a moment to remember what’s actually true. Maybe a “bless you” for a sneeze doesn’t create a special immunity from the plague. But it reminds us that we are blessed by God, sneezing or not. Maybe a blessing at the end of a worship service does not impart special blessing on the gathered. But maybe it does. And regardless, I know I’m blessed by God, at all times, in church and not. Today, I want to remember to give that word the reverence it deserves, even if it’s only reminding me of an immortal truth. I am blessed by God.
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